Arsenal are ready to make a bid to bring Norwich City's Emiliano Buendia to the club this summer, according to CBS Sports

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news? 

They claim the Argentine attacker was of interest to the club in January before they brought Real Madrid's Martin Odegaard in on loan and a formal bid is believed to be on the way. 

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The player himself is thought to be keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium and could be prepared to push for the transfer in an attempt to force it through. 

Despite a miserable first full season in charge for Mikel Arteta, owner Stan Kroenke is reportedly ready to back the Spaniard in the transfer market this summer amid huge protests from swathes of the club's fanbase. 

How many assists has Buendia recorded this season? 

While there is clearly a caveat in that the 24-year-old is playing in a division below Arsenal, his 15 goals and 16 assists in the Championship have to be respected. 

Indeed, averaging 3.1 key passes per game (via WhoScored), that number would outdo anyone in Arteta's squad and would actually be the most an Arsenal player has managed since Mesut Ozil during the 2017-18 campaign. 

In the Premier League during Norwich's relegation season of 2019/20, Buendia was still averaging 2.3 per game and, according to FBREF data, only nine players in the whole division averaged more passes that directly led to a shot than Buendia. 

Given the lack of creativity in the Arsenal team has been well documented since Ozil's exclusion from the side after the COVID-19 pandemic halted football in March 2020, as well as the fact Arteta's team rank in the bottom half for shots per game, Buendia would appear to be the kind of signing they desperately need. 

How much would Buendia cost Arsenal? 

The report states Norwich are under little need to sell considering they have been promoted to the Premier League. 

Still, Football League World recently revealed that those at Carrow Road believe their star creator is worth up to £40m. 

Has Lionel Messi spoken to Emi Buendia? 

Talking to The Guardian last month, Buendia revealed that Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi asked him if he wanted to play for Argentina or Spain even despite his former side losing 6-0 to the La Liga giants six years ago. 

“I maybe did something good to impress him,” said Buendia.

“He asked: ‘What do you want to do? Do you want to play for Spain or Argentina?’ Quickly I said: ‘Of course I want to play for Argentina. I want to play with you – it is a dream.’”